cock of the town — not defined in dictionaries, but presumably from ((cock of the walk: "a person who asserts himself in a strutting pompous way" informal – Collins.)) (("Black, who had held his own against the cock of the town in the last row with the louts" – Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, 1867.))

one foot up ... — from the children's rhyme "See-saw, sacaradown, Which is the way to London Town? One foot up, the other foot down, That is the way to London Town" – Nursery Songs and Ballads, 1869.

top of the morn — traditional Irish greeting, often used in caricature. (("considered archetypal or stereotypical of Irish speech. It is rarely heard in Ireland" – Wiktionary.)) (("used everywhere [in Ireland], North and South" – PWJ 1910.))

bare his head — lift his hat, usually as a token of respect. (("He came into the garden ... and bared his head, as it was always his custom to do when he saw my aunt" – Dickens, David Copperfield, 1850.))

One Shilling per Guinea ... — a pound (£) at this time amounted to 20 shillings. A guinea amounted to 21 shillings. Tradesmen dealt in pounds, but gentlemen (doctors, lawyers, etc.) dealt in guineas. (The sense seems to be that one shilling out of every twenty-one spent at Mr Mack's shop is promised toward some charitable cause.) Pound Sterling

"comforts" poster, WW1

propaganda poster, WW1

propaganda poster, WW1

Belgian Refugees — a small number of Belgian refugees, displaced by the German advances through Belgium, were settled in Ireland during WW1. …

"During the four years of the war, over 2,300 refugees were received in Ireland for whom the Belgian Refugee Committee collected over £46,000 (including the proceeds of collections at the doors of Dublin churches). Some were placed in workhouses for lack of accommodation, in one case (Dunshaughlin, county Meath) the paupers were cleared out by the military to make way for 125 refugees. According to a Local Government Board report, 'public interest in the business chilled when Belgians showed little inclination to accept Irish hospitality, preferring to remain in England.' Perhaps there they were not reduced to displacing unfortunate paupers. At any rate, the number of refugees in Ireland gradually declined from 1,500 in June 1915 to 900 the following year and to 500 by the end of the war." – O'Brien, Dear Dirty Dublin, 1982.

Poster, WW1

Comforts for the Troops in France — small "comforts" (soap, socks, tobacco, etc) collected by volunteers at home (usually women and children) for soldiers serving at the Front.

Ladies' Mass — usually "Women's Mass", an informal name for early Mass on Sunday, attended especially by women (so that they might be home in time to begin preparing the family meal). Men's Mass was the later principle Mass of the Sunday. (("His mother had been to the Women's Mass at nine o'clock, and now his father was dressed and ready for the half-ten" – Hugh Leonard, Home Before Night, 1979.))

sixpenny-door — the main entrance to the church, where it was usual to pay sixpence into the collection box for Sunday Mass. The side doors were for the use of the poorer people, who might not afford the front-door "charge". …

"My mother seldom went to mass when I was very young, and she finally gave up going altogether when one Sunday she was refused admission through the front door of Meath Street Chapel because she put only a penny in the collection box. Oul' Bennet the collector pulled her up and told her to go around the side door with her penny. She took back her penny and from then on she made her own arrangements with God. This custom of having a 'poor side' was detestable to those who couldn't put a thruppeny-bit or a sixpence in the collection box and incidents between the poor people and the collector were quite usual" – Máirín Johnston, Around the Banks of Pimlico, 1985.

the Old Toughs — regimental nickname of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (originally of the 2nd Battalion). (("For long and arduous service in India" – Farmer 1904.))

old God's time — (("time immemorial" – Slanguage.))

County Tipperary in the province of Munster

Tipp — short for Tipperary, an inland county of Ireland in the province of Munster. Mr Mack it transpires was born in County Tipperary.

Yorkshire of Ireland — Tipperary shares with Yorkshire in England the quirk of being divided into ridings – three in Yorkshire, and, oddly, two in Tipperary. Oddly, because a riding means a third. In the 19th century there seems to have been some rivalry amongst Irish counties in pursuit of this epithet, with County Cork usually gaining the laurel. …

stretch — of the imagination, of course, but also punning ((stretch: "to be hanged" obsolete – OED)) a usual prospect for patriots in Ireland.

Some say the devil ... — the rhyme appears in Padraic O'Farrell, How the Irish speak English, 1980. The words and sentiment are similar to the traditional anti-British Army song "The Devil Is Dead". ♫♫

Relief of Ladysmith — a major event, February 1900, in the Boer War, fought 1899-1902 between the British Empire and the Dutch Boer settlers of southern Africa. Early in the war, the Boers blockaded British military and colonists in the towns of Natal province. The protracted Seige of Ladysmith (along with other similar sieges in Kimberley and Mafeking) was a cause of deep consternation to the British newsreading public. The Relief of Ladysmith, consequently, resulted in widespread celebration in Britain, and a reaffirmation of Imperial destiny. (The RDF played a prominent role in the battles leading up to the Relief of Ladysmith: for their gallantry, they were awarded the honour of marching into the town at the head of the relieving force.)

do the aqua — (("to put in the water, as 'Jo, do the aqua', and Joe pours the water into the held-out glass, observing 'Say when!' 'When', says the other at the point he considers the dilution absolute" public-house slang – Ware 1909.)) ex Latin aqua, "water". Which indicates they're drinking whiskeys.

may your purse nor your prick ... — a low form of "Cheers!" with the meaning "may you never fail in riches or sexual conquest". ((half-toast, half-catch-phrase. C.18-mid-19 – Partridge.)) ((Grose 1811, describes the phrase as "the beggar's benison".))

South African Campaign — the name applied to the Boer War by British authorities during the conduct of the war. (Properly "South Africa Campaign".)

mister-me-friend — (("form of semi-derisive address" – Slanguage.))

saw spit of — ? saw anything of, saw much of, came close to. Perhaps on the analogy of a "spit" being a small or worthless amount ("a spit in the ocean").

too cute by a quarter — an amplification, or diminution, of "too cute by a half" – too clever for one's own good.

stowed for home — ((stow: "to conceal oneself on board a ship; be a stowaway" – OED.)) HMS Funk — a pretend name for a Royal Navy ship. ((funk: "cowering fear; a state of panic or shrinking terror" – OED.))

The Malabar's in 'arbour with the Jumner at 'er tail,
An' the time-expired's waitin' of 'is orders for to sail.
Ho! the weary waitin' when on Khyber 'ills we lay,
But the time-expired's waitin' of 'is orders 'ome to-day.

from Troopin', in Rudyard Kipling, Barrack Room Ballads and Other Verses, 1892.

where it goes — a form of "Cheers". (("Where it goes, he said, and gurgled down more than half of his pint" – O'Casey 2)) it goes worth chasing — it's worth following with another drink. ((chaser: "mild beverage taken after spirituous liquor" – OED.)) The sense seems to be: "If it's worth drinking this one drink, it's worth drinking another (milder) drink afterwards."

... the heresy beer

The Gentleman's Magazine, 1794

To be sure did yous hear ... — from a ditty against the Guinness brewing family, first published 1813. The Guinnesses, being Irish and of Irish descent, and also being wealthy and Protestant, were figures of constant scrutiny. The rhyme has to do with Catholic Irish anger at the Guinness family's perceived antipathy to Catholic Emancipation (when in fact the Guinnesses, canny businessmen all, were in favour). Quoted in Stephen Mansfield, The Search for God and Guinness, 2009.

a bird never hopped on one leg — ((a bird never flew on one wing: "frequently employed in response to the offer of a second drink" – Slanguage.)) Amplification, or diminution, of this.

purl one, plain one — stitches employed in knitting. "Knitting reached its height of popularity in England during World War I, when uniform items were in short supply. Queen Mary issued an appeal for woollens. Sheet music, posters, postcards, and patriotic knitting books urged both men and women to do their part in the war effort. So they knitted non-stop – in trains, restaurants, and the theatre – producing thousands of khaki-colored socks, vests, mitts, and a headdress known as a balaclava helmet that covered the ears and neck." – Jane Eldershaw, The Everything Knitting Book, 2003.

... general short for general maid

advertisement, Jeye's Disinfectant, 1879

general maid — the lowest of maidservants, having no particular employment. (("maid-of-all-work" – OED.)) (("The general servant, or maid-of-all-work, is perhaps the only one of her class deserving of commiseration: her life is a solitary one, and in, some places, her work is never done. She is also subject to rougher treatment than either the house or kitchen-maid" – Mrs Beeton, The Book of Household Management, 1861.))